Three and Three

1

This tick has broken a lot of rules. Ticks aren’t supposed to like concrete and metal. They most certainly aren’t supposed to waltz onto your patio and climb up your tray of violet vases. They are supposed to stay in the grass! If I tick can do this, then it is capable of walking up to my house and under the door, and that is scary.

2

I took the day off from work. Around mid-morning I went to the library with the intention of having a leisurely look through the new books. I planned to follow that up with a walk in the woods.

The library part went well. I found some interesting books and a CD. I even had a nice chat with a librarian. But my growling stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten breakfast. I decided I’d better get some food before taking a walk. As I was leaving the parking area, I saw something very sad.

This looks like a nice area to have lunch. There’s a table and pretty bluets on the ground, but look at that poor dead tree in the background.

It was not the only one. Dead trees had been marked with pink X’s. There were so many X’s!

3

My car made a weird noise when I stepped on the brake to shift into drive. There happened to be a landscaper using a weed whacker near my car. I told myself that the sound had come from the weed whacker, not my car, and that everything was fine.

Only it wasn’t. It didn’t take long to realize that there was something wrong with the brakes. When I stopped at the parking lot exit, the brake pedal didn’t feel right. I tested it again as I was driving down the road. Every time I stepped on it, there was a slight vibration, and I had push the pedal much harder than usual. The grocery store was so close that it made as much sense to pull into the parking lot as it did to stop on the side of the road. But I wasn’t driving that car any farther than that. Uh-uh. So I had to call a tow truck. This is how I feel about that:

๐Ÿ™

But it’s not all bad.

1

I saw the tick on the tray, so it wasn’t able to get on me. The tick is dead now and won’t be biting anyone ever again.

2

Many of the trees are still alive. The winter moth numbers still seem to be down. The gypsy moth caterpillars are around, but I haven’t seen large numbers of them.

3

I’m grateful that the brakes didn’t stop working while I was driving to or from CT on Wednesday. I’m particularly thankful that I was able to stop the car without hurting anyone or anything. I had my phone on me, and though the battery was low, it had enough power to make the necessary phone calls. The tow truck arrived quickly, and my husband picked me up almost immediately after. I am now home safe and sound, and I finally got to eat my lunch (vegetarian sushi with a side of fresh pineapple).

Things could be worse.

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